BMW has decided to charge customers an annual fee to enjoy CarPlay in their latest vehicles.
While other automakers offer drivers the option to use Apple CarPlay for free (an option often only available on top models), BMW has decided to charge extra for it. From now on, any new company car will require its owner to pay an annual fee of $80 for the ability to interact with the iPhone. Most likely, this unpleasant news will also affect Mini owners.
There is, however, a small reservation - it will be necessary to pay a fee only starting from the second year of operation of the car. For the first year, BMW generously allowed the system to be used free of charge. Prior to this, for the possibility of using CarPlay, one had to pay $300 one-time, as an option upon purchase.
On the Internet, you can already find a lot of extremely negative reviews from users. Most of them did not like the approach itself. The person who can afford brand new BMW, will not suffer too much because of $6.6 per month. However, it is not the case. For many, this is something of a principle. So, if the company raised the price of its cars by a certain amount, but at the same time continued to provide the opportunity to use Apple CarPlay for free, no one would be too worried. Many consumers are also concerned about the fact that this practice may be of interest to other automakers.
So far, BMW does not provide users with the ability to use Android Auto. But it is reported that in the foreseeable future such an option will still appear. True, it is now unclear whether it will also be provided by subscription.
Apple has yet to comment on BMW's move.
